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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Laughlin
Go for 1–2 nights if you want cheap riverfront casino rooms and a Colorado River base; skip in Jul–Aug, when 45°C+ days make the strip unwalkable.
Laughlin is a small casino town on the Nevada bank of the Colorado River, about 140 km (98 mi) south of Las Vegas and a 2-hour drive away. Nine hotel-casinos line Casino Drive, a river walk connects them, and the water — not the gambling — is what makes it different from a Vegas suburb. Rooms are far cheaper than in Las Vegas, and the town works as a stop between Las Vegas and Arizona or Southern California.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Oct–Apr
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (extreme heat), and heat waves above 48°CJul–Aug (extreme heat), and heat waves above 118°F
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–120 excl. bed · Mid $120–220 excl. bed · High $220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Laughlin Visitor Information Center +1 702 298-3321
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Casino buffet or café meal | $15–30 |
| Steakhouse dinner (The Range, Saltgrass) | $30–70 |
| Draught beer at a casino bar | $5–9 |
| Casino-floor drink while playing | Free; tip $1–2 a drink |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- IFP · Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport
- Across the river in Bullhead City, Arizona; charter and seasonal flights only, no major airline.
- LAS · Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas
- About 2 hours by car; direct shuttle services run to Laughlin.
- PHX · Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- About 4 hours by car.
Typical fares
- Las Vegas airport → Laughlin, direct shuttle
- about 2 h; check current fare and schedule
- Casino Drive strip, one end to the other
- about 3 km; walkable in cool months, bus or taxi in summerabout 1.9 mi; walkable in cool months, bus or taxi in summer
- Big Bend of the Colorado day use, per vehicle
- $10 (check)
Get around
There are no freeways through town; Casino Drive is the spine. The Southern Nevada Transit Coalition runs two local bus routes, one of them 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A car is the practical choice for Grapevine Canyon, Big Bend and the Arizona side, and the Laughlin Bridge crosses to Bullhead City in a few minutes.
See and do
Known for
- Colorado River casinos and river walk
- Cheap hotel-casino rooms
- Grapevine Canyon petroglyphs
- Water recreation and Big Bend of the Colorado
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bullhead City, Arizona | Drive or walk across the Laughlin Bridge | About 15 min |
| Grapevine Canyon Petroglyphs | Drive NV-163 west, then a short dirt road and a walk | About 30–40 min |
| Searchlight | NV-163 west to US-95 north | About 45 min |
| Las Vegas | US-95 north via Searchlight and Boulder City | About 2 h |
| Needles, California | NV-163 west to US-95 south | About 1 h |
| Boulder City | US-95 north via Searchlight | About 1 h 45 min |
Sleep
- Casino Drive riverfront
- The nine big hotel-casinos sit in a row along the river; the river walk links them, so you can park once and walk between properties.
- Upper Laughlin (Needles Highway side)
- Parks, the library and the aquatic centre; quieter, and a short drive from the casino strip.
- Avi Resort area (south)
- Native American casino and golf at the southern tip of Nevada, about 20 km south of the main strip.Native American casino and golf at the southern tip of Nevada, about 12 mi south of the main strip.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the river walk? | Where is the river walk? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| One more, please | One more, please |
| Where is the restroom? | Where is the restroom? |
| Call 911 | Call 911 |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat is the main risk: days above 43°C (110°F) are normal in July and August, and heat waves above 48°C (120°F) happen. Carry water and do outdoor sights before 10:00.
- Non-US citizens who win big at a casino may have 30% withheld by the IRS; ask the casino for the 1042-S form and keep it.
- Free casino drinks are for players only — tip at least $1 a drink or service slows down.
- The Colorado Belle has been closed since 2020; check before planning around it.
- Distances are long and desert services are sparse: fill the tank before leaving town.
Laughlin is a small, low-crime resort town; the real risks are summer heat, long desert drives and casino floors where free drinks add up. Keep water in the car and know your limit before you sit down.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Laughlin yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Colorado River casinos and river walk
- Cheap hotel-casino rooms
- Grapevine Canyon petroglyphs
- Water recreation and Big Bend of the Colorado
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Laughlin Visitor Information Center: www.visitlaughlin.com/
- Southern Nevada Transit Coalition: www.sntc.net/
- Wikivoyage: Laughlin, revision 5320219 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5320219
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Laughlin
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Laughlin Visitor Information Center+1 702 298-3321
No embassies in Laughlin; consulates are in Las Vegas, and national embassies are in Washington, DC.
US tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/laughlin). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.